Although the recovery of rare earth magnets (including neodymium and samarium cobalt) is technically feasible, it has no scalability or efficiency for most enterprises. In fact, due to technical, financial and political reasons, as of 2011, less than 1% of rare earths had been recycled.
Nevertheless, some organizations and scientific research are still trying to create a more effective process for large-scale recycling of these materials, while focusing on maintaining the original strength of magnets. If successful, these methods may prove to be a "more environmentally friendly" choice for enterprises that often use and handle rare earth magnets. Not to mention, it will reduce (if not eliminate) the demand for overseas mining.
The US Department of Energy encourages research and better recycling of rare earth products, such as neodymium magnets. However, at least in the foreseeable future, the easily recyclable rare earth magnets are hypothetical and temporary.
Where are rare earth magnets used?
In other frequently "consumed" products, you will find rare earth magnets for electric cars, mobile phones, computers, hard disks, headphones, speakers, and wind turbines. Usually, they are stored for recycling or simply thrown into landfills until they can be extracted and separated.
Any safety conscious enterprise wants to avoid unnecessary troubles with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other state or federal laws. To do this, you should practice handling magnets safely and correctly.
Treatment of Rare Earth and Ceramic Magnets
Neodymium and samarium cobalt magnets are powerful and can be dangerous to handle. Therefore, you should never use your rare earth magnets as a means of disposal. First, if possible, thermal demagnetize the magnet.
You can demagnetize rare earth magnets by heating them to Curie point - some materials will lose magnetism above this temperature - if heated to about 176 ° F, neodymium magnets begin to lose their properties. You can also use demagnetizing tools to pass magnetic objects through alternating current, such as Apex's small screwdriver and precision tool demagnetizer.
If you cannot demagnetize, you should use a shield (iron or steel sheet) to line the interior of some type of container. You can then process the entire container. This prevents your magnet from sticking to other ferrous metals in the landfill.
Although ceramic magnets are easier to handle because they are not as powerful as rare earth magnets, you should follow the same advice above - degaussing before handling, otherwise shielding the magnets.
